EU Rapporteur Castex to EuroFora on Private Copies Tax voted with Strong+Original Opposition by MEPs

 
*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- An unexpectedly strong and politically original Opposition by many and various MEPs to EU Parliament's Vote Today to establish a controversial Tax on Private Copies, highlights even further some curious Lacunas in the argumentation of its supporters, as they had already appeared during a Press Conference Yesterday, in the Replies by EU Rapporteur Françoise Castex, a French Socialist MEP, to 2 Questions raised by "EuroFora".

Such Facts indicate that it cannot be excluded for EU Parliament's Majority to Change its stance on this controversial and topical issue, particularly after the forthcoming, May 2014 EU Elections, according to their results...

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'EuroFora"s Questions :
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    - "In some other Countries, also out of the EU, including at the USA, there isn't any Financial levy on private Copies. Don't you think that this difference risks to become a Handicap for the EU vis a vis the Global Competition ?", "EuroFora" asked at first, (obviously pointing f.ex. to the choice of residence or establishment for Students, Experts, Businessmen, Enterprises, and even other various simple Citizens, including Tourism visits, etc)..

    + Moreover, "as you know, there are various Movements, of Young and less young People, who are, on the contrary, in favor of a Freedom of Access to Culture, in general.. Naturally, Authors need to be remunerated, and Creations should be protected, but, isn't it really possible to find some other, Alternative ways for that purpose, without Taxing only the User (particulalry when an Original Copy has already been Paid, as in this case) ?; added "EuroFora"

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EU Parliament Rapporteur's Replies :
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    - "Thank you. I think that, before examining the situation of Non-EIU Countries, if we arrive at an Harmonized system inside the EU, this would already be a big step...", EU Rappprteur Françoise Castex, (Soc. Fra) observed at the outset, from another point of view.

    - "A fortiori, since this Tax is a System which doesn't affect so much Competition, out of the USA, because it's about Copies for Private use, Not Commercial, so that it all remains a Practice which can't be outsourced without difficulties", as she said, (apparently Missing the Point about Establishment, Residence and/or Tourism destination Choices of Citizens, Businesses, etc, among various Countries accross a Globalized World : Comp. Supra, as well as that of the Greatest possible Influence of a National Culture in the World, f.ex. Scope of European or American Works, etc

    + "Then, it's true that it's a rather "European" System, which had been initiated by Germany, and was extended into 23 (EU) Member States out of 28, but it's also a System which Interests also Out of the European Union, as I've learned from various Associations of Collective Management, mainly in Emerging Economies, f.ex. in Africa, or Asia, etc. Because it's a Good Solution in order to Use and Authorize a Copy, which, as you've said earlier, is practically Unavoidable : F.ex. one makes a CD and he copies it, or lends it to a Friend who copies it, or takes at a Media Library a Disc that he copies, etc., so that it's Difficult to Hinder that. But this allows to be done in a Legal and Transparent way, since there is a (Financial) Compensation for that Copy", she claimed, (paradoxically supporting, in substance, the original view that .. Taxes would make Taxpayers' life easier !)...

    ++ Now, you tell me, also, that there are People who stand for the Freedom of Access to Culture, particularly after having already Bought f.ex. a CD with Music etc", MEP Castex added, on "EuroFora"s 2nd Question. .

    - "I am among those who believe, indeed, that Access to Culture must be as "Fluid";, and as Easy as possible, etc", she acknowledged.

    - "Nevertheless, I'm very much in favour, also, of Authors' Rights, and to the Remuneration of Artists, because I don't see how we could have a European Cultural Creation, full of Vitality and Rich, without establishing a System of Remuneration for Artists, who are the First to live an experience of European Culture"; as she said, (apparently considering EU Citizens as, a comparatively, "Secondary" matter, +and Astonishingly ..skipping "EuroFora"s last Question about the Possibiity to find "Alternatives" for Artists' Remuneration systems, which wouldn't Tax the Users of Private Copies (at least not when the Original has already been paid)..

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EU Parliament's "Alternative" Resolution and Votes :
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This last point, but not least, which, is, in fact, of Primordial Importance, and becomes even more crystal-clear when one sees the Alternative Resolution, tabled by Liberal Swedish MEP Cecilia Wikstrom, on behalf of her Group, and supported by the "Greens", to EU Parliament's Plenary, in the form of an Amendment to Castex's Draft Report :

    - The Alternative Resolution observes from the outset the fact that "as a result of new technologies and digitalisation, content can be copied (better : "ReProduced") without losing quality, and at virtually  no additional cost".

     -This can "lead to the development of new business models and (mainly) to great Potential Public Benefits, for example as regards Access to ....Cultural content, Information and Education" of all the People.

    => "Therefore",, that crucial Amendment tabled at EU Parliament's Plenary session; "invites the (EU) Member States and the Commission .. to Explore Alternatives", to the levies payment system.   

 
    They should "fulfil the objectives of a Balanced Copyright regime, while reflecting Modern Consumer expectations", it points out.

    In particular, "private copying of legally acquired content, constitutes a Normal Use of the products or services acquired by consumers, which should Not Harm the legitimate interests of right-holders; and thus should  Not warrant any Compensation", the Aternative Motion clarifies in conclusion.

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>>> But the most important "News" Today is, probably, the quite Astonishing Results of the Votes casted in EU Parliament's Plenary, Today Noon in Strasbourg, and what reveals an Analysis of the Votes both for the above-mentioned Alternative Resolution, - tabled as "Amendment No 1" - and for the Final Adoption of Castex's Draft Report, as such :

- First of all, it's interesting to note the Fact that many MEPs'  Resistance to the Traditional Majority View presented by Castex's Draft, (in principle supported by the official line, still dominating inside the 2 Biggest Parties : SPD and EPP), succeeded to reach; initially, almost 30% on the Votes, the 1st Time, (i.e. on the "Amendment No 1", through which had tabled the Alternative Resolution : Comp. Supra), and, afterwards, it even grew as far as to reach as High as some ...40% of the Votes casted on the Finaly adopted Resolution (that of Castex) at the End of the Voting Hour ("No" and "White" Votes included) !

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+ This spectacular and unexpected Augmentation of + 10 % more, during the Same Day, inside this same EU Parliament, as it stands at the eve of the forthcoming, May 2014 EU Elections, also reveals that the Opposition to Levies on Private Copies appears much more Motivated to Act for what it believes Just and Right, than many among those who merely Follow still a Traditionaly Dominant Position (to impose that supplementary Tax on Users), since several among them ... Left Running fast the EU Parliament's Plenary Room towards the End of the Voting Time, obviously more Eager to catch up an Airplane or Train for their Week-End leisure, than to stay inside and do what they believed to be their Duty as Representatives of the People, (as relevant Photos, Video footage, and even the desperate calls by the Chair for many MEPs not top Run Away so Fast, clearly reveal) !...

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+ Another noticeable Fact is that this Same Day, 499 MEPs voted on Other Reports, f.ex. that of Nuno Melo, i.e. +106 MEPs more than on Castex's Report (only 393) !

  => Should we conclude from such Facts, that some 106 more MEPs either "Voted with their Feet", i.e. Fleed the Castex Report imposing Taxes to Private Copies even of already bought assets, or, at least, Abstained/were Indifferent and/or Hesitated to accept that ? If Yes, then, by Adding some 106 more MEPs to those already clearly and explicitly Opposed or Abstaining to the Final Vote for the imposition of Levies to all Private Copies (141 MEPs), then, the real Result would be almost a ... Draw, i.e. astonishingly Close to 50 - 50% !

At any case, such Big Factual Differences between Votes casted during one and Same Day, by one and Same Collective Body, at one and Same Location, obviously Raise Questions if not about  lack of sufficient Legitimacy, at least of a dangerous Fragility, particularly in view of probable Changes in EU Parliament's composition after the forthcoming, May 2014 EU Elections, (comp; Supra).
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+++ Even more Interesting, politically, is also the Additional Fact that this 40% strong Opposition, in fact, cannot be classified neither to the Traditional "Left", nor to the Traditional "Right" of EU Parliament's Political Spectrum :

- Indeed, among those Opposed are, paradoxicaly, included both most "Leftists" AND most "Rightists", as the Results of 2 Row Call Votes attest !

++++ Was it then,, just a result purely due to the so-called "Extremes", be it of the "Right" and/or of the "Left", often even accused to be, more or less, "EuroSceptics", and classified at the "Margins" of the Traditional Politcal Spectrum, as usually Distinguished from the Traditional "MainStream" Parties ?

- No ! Even that is Not True at all, in this case : Simply because those who Led this Strange Opposition Movement, f.ex. by officially Tabling the above-mentioned Alternative Resolution, as "Amendment No 1", etc, (Comp. Supra), are not others than the .... MainStream "Liberals", supported by the "Greens", both among the More "Pro-Europeans" of all (including even many so-called "Federalists" !), and currently chaired by the former Prime Minister of Belgium, and now Candidate to the Top Job of New EU Commission's President, Guy Verhofstadt !
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=> How to explain, then, all this Strange Groupîng of 40 % of MEPs, who are Both from the Right and the Left, as well as the "Centre" ; Both from so-called, more or less "EuroSceptics" and from the so-called "ProEuropeans" ; Both from the "Margins" and from the "Mainstream" Parties, having just 1 thing in Common : To be the most Committted of all to their Cause in this issue (Comp. Facts cited Supra) ?

- Two things are for sure :

(A) All this doesn't look at all like the usual, Traditional "Right/Left" Politics, but radicaly cuts accross them, revealing not an "Old", but a  kind of "New" Contradiction of Interests and Values.

(B) According to all factual Indications currently available, such Movements are due to be not only Repeated, but even Augmented, in Intensity and mainly Number, Size and Force, in the foreseable Future, (possibly taking also Various Other Formats, f.ex. including More ChistianFDemocrat/EPP MEPs when it comes to BioEthical Issues, etc); and, particularly just After the forthcoming, May 2014 EU Parliament's Elections,

since all Polls notoriously expect a Rise of the "Rightists" across Europe, but also of some "Leftists", in addition to that of Various kinds of so-called,  more or less "EuroSceptics",  as well as the Emergence of Many "New", Atypical Parties, ranging from BioEthics (f.ex. in France, etc) up to the famous "Pirates", in Germany and elsewhere, who have recently prepared a .. "EU Pirates' Party (EUPP)", for the 1st time with their own Candidate MEPs, instead of remaining "hidden" behind only a few "Green" or "Liberal" MEPs, as they were obliged to do in the Past, until now, obviously augmenting the Number and Activism of MEPs' strongly committed to Fight for a Free and Safe Access to the Information Society, (naturally Boosted after the recent Revelations of massive Internet Spying by Snowden, etc)....

Something that the May 2014 EU Elections could infirm or confirm, in one way or another, opening, maybe, some New Possibilities for Original European Politcal Groupings, (particularly on "New" Issues of the Modern Society, as the present one, examined in this paper), more or less unthinkable in the Past...